


The Whump Files Of JJ Maybank

by ItsTheKayKay



Category: Outer Banks (TV)
Genre: F/M, Family Fluff, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:14:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26012458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsTheKayKay/pseuds/ItsTheKayKay
Summary: A compilation of works based on actual scenes in Outer Banks focusing on JJ and the emotional turmoil he went through.From injured JJ to abused JJ and even if he were to be sick at some point in the show, this series will be a bunch of angst and fluff pieces of our favourite boy!*each chapter might or might not be related depending on what the scene is*
Relationships: JJ & John B. Routledge, JJ/Kiara/Pope (Outer Banks), Kiara/Pope (Outer Banks), Sarah Cameron/John B. Routledge
Comments: 10
Kudos: 98





	1. Band aids and Luke warm water

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the first installment of the compilation! This is what would have happened if JJ had gotten injured during the boat chase scene in episode one.

JJ may have been many things, but a liar was not one of them. Sure, he’d tell the odd white lie on occasion, actually, most of the time; but he had good reason to. 

Similar to that time Kie had dragged him alongside her to the mainland so she could buy John B a birthday present. She had shown him over fifty bandanas and at least twenty different kinds of accessories for the Pogue. He could have told her the truth - that he hated every single thing she showed him or that he really didn’t want to be there. That he wanted to get out of the fancy outfit she made him wear that really should not have been as itchy as it was or that he just wanted to go back to his life on the cut, where no one would give him weird looks and he didn’t feel out of place. Instead, he chose to tell a harmless white lie. He would crack jokes at the incredibly ridiculous options she had shown him and nod his head to the not so hideous ones. He didn’t feel guilty telling these kinds of lies, it was fun to spend time with Kie and they made a lot of good memories that day. Plus, the look on John B’s face when he opened the gift and tripped over his own words - you could practically see the cogs turning as his brain fumbled for something nice to say. 

Or that time JJ had dared Pope to get the pretty girl’s number from one of their many kegger parties, and he thought he had actually succeeded. JJ called the number and it didn’t exist, but instead of telling Pope that - he just let Pope believe he had won. The girl who was on vacation had already left and Pope would probably never see her again so what was the harm? JJ had, instead, since he lost the bet - been stuck on sole cleaning duties. The day after any of their parties the beach was always a mess, and God forbid they left it like that - what if a sea turtle wound up suffocating because of the plastic they used? Kie would be so furious she might actually end up never speaking to them again. Although JJ knew there was a very slim chance of that happening - he really didn’t want to risk it. 

So, for a month, every time they had a kegger party, JJ was forced to stay behind by himself and clean the whole area. To be fair, he could have gotten help - Kie was always offering to help; make sure JJ was doing a good job and the beach was completely clean but he kept turning her down. He felt bad, Kie had been combing the beach for any kind of plastic or rubbish for years without losing a stupid bet. It wasn’t right for her to have to help him - she didn’t lose, he did. Plus, since Kie was always combing the beach anyway - it’s not like JJ had a lot of work to do.

So, as JJ sat in John B’s house, a panicked Kie reciting what she remembered from her first aid class, Pope stood by the door spewing disgusting facts about dead bodies and John B sat beside a distant JJ. He really had to wonder what had happened. He felt woozy and his arm stung like a bitch, John B was making fun of their friends in hushed tones to JJ and he had to thank his best friend. It really kept him grounded when the spinning room and garbled worried voices of his friends made him almost fade away. He thought back to everything that happened that day and why he felt so weak.

As JJ sat on The Pogue, he ignored the throbbing pain by his ribs whenever the boat went over a mini-wave. He brushed his friends off when they all undressed, revealing their bathing costumes and called him to join them in the water. He smiled and said he didn’t feel like swimming that day, which was partly true. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to move and keep himself afloat in the water. Every time he moved his arms the burning sensation he felt afterwards reminded him of the secret kept hidden from his best friends - his family. He didn’t want them to know how weak he was and imagining the heartbroken look in Kie’s eyes when she finds out might just be enough to send him spiralling over the edge. 

They were all cheering for John B, who had just returned from scuba diving and fishing out a bag from the sunken Grady White when someone spotted another boat coming closer towards them. JJ doesn’t even remember who spotted the boat first, he just remembers yelling for them to “just go” as he struggled to bring the anchor up. They were all panicking, itching to get away from whoever was chasing them. 

JJ remembers seeing one of the two dudes pull out a shotgun, thankfully Kie had the brilliant idea to use their net to trap the intruder’s boat. It worked but they still attempted to fire a shot, JJ doesn’t remember what happened. One minute he was ducking down and praising Kie for her ingenious idea that actually worked, the next minute he felt a new throbbing sensation at the top of his left arm. He looked down at the shirt he was wearing, he noticed how it was starting to get stained red. Blood, JJ realized, he had been shot - wait no, not shot. The pain of getting shot would have been unbearable and he was able to act fine in front of his friends still. No, he had been grazed by a bullet, great JJ thought to himself - just what I needed. 

Immediately, his hand shot up to cover the wound, he couldn’t let his friends know what had just happened. Couldn’t risk the questions that would follow. He must have sat down a bit too quickly for his body because his head swam, his friends’ voices faded out and next thing he knew - the darkness that was clawing at his vision covered everything and his body hit the boat’s floor.

JJ woke up laying on John B’s couch, he had tried to tell his friends he was okay but it didn’t really work in his favour. “Guys - this is overkill, I’m okay! seriously!”John B gently pushed JJ back into the couch when he attempted to sit up. 

The wince JJ made as his body moved awkwardly was enough to send Kie into an anxious pace. She paced back and forth from the couch JJ lay on to where Pope was standing, JJ tried to tell her he was okay but she was not at all convinced. He sat up with help from John B and drank from the glass of lukewarm water he was given wordlessly. He looked down at his bandaged arm and tried his hardest to hold back the tears that were creeping up. 

He never really had anyone to bandage his wounds when his dad showed up drunk, he was so used to doing everything by himself. It felt nice in a weird way to have someone else on his side - like he mattered somehow. 

He cleared his throat awkwardly and spoke up, “as nice as it is having the three of you acting like my butlers - can we see what John B pulled from the Grady White now? I didn’t almost die for nothing!” They all rolled their eyes, there was the JJ they remembered. It was as if they forgot all about the injured JJ from earlier and he was very grateful for that. 

They all gathered around John B on the couch as he unzipped the black gym bag, opened the capsule and stared at the compass in his hands. Sorry, let me rephrase that - his father’s compass. They spent the remainder of that night talking about what John B’s father had to do with the sunken boat and scooter’s body.

JJ was glad he had the friends he did and there were not three other people in the whole world he would rather have a crazy adventure with than his best friends. The Pogues, for life.


	2. Getting What He Deserves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "JJ’s heart hammered in his chest as he saw the same two men approaching the front door, he turned quickly, walking away from the window where they had all flocked to after John B called them. John B followed his best friend, “John B, I told you. Why does it always—” JJ was pushed against the wall as John B asked where the gun was."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the second chapter in the whump files series! I wanted to get this chapter out straight after the first one, so, here it is.
> 
> This takes place in episode two, "The Lucky Compass" almost directly after the events of the first chapter.  
> Please enjoy and don't forget to kudos and review, it helps motivate me~

It wasn’t long after their incident with the assassins (as they liked to call them) when JJ and John B had gone to speak to Scooter’s wife, Lana. They had found her in the middle of her torn apart house, sobbing her heart out. John B kept asking her questions about the compass and his father even after JJ and Lana herself kept telling him to leave - with Lana also pleading for him to hide that he even had the damned thing in the first place. Although they did eventually do as instructed, it was not easy for them to just leave her there like that. 

They made their way back to John B’s house where he tried to find some sort of clue about the compass from his father's untouched office. They had retold the tale to their patiently waiting best friends, JJ acting uncharacteristically serious and showing the dust and minuscule pieces of something in his hair from the house, his friends scolding him for not knowing what the perpetrators looked like as he just smiled through it, complaining he was under duress.  
If he were being honest with them, he would tell them he felt terrified when he saw Lana like that. Sure, he didn’t know her well at all, but with how destroyed the house was and how upset she seemed to be, it brought him back to when he was a child. 

He saw his mother cradling him protectively in her arms on their cold living room floor; as his father drunkenly tore the place apart, searching for the man he thought she was cheating on him with. In reality, she wasn’t cheating, she had been quietly gathering her things for months - getting everything ready so she could disappear for good. It had been time; JJ had watched as his father ripped him away from his mother and threw him across the room where their tv used to stand. He must have passed out for a couple of minutes, because, when he finally came to his senses, his father was outside yelling profanities at their car as it drove off into the distance. That had been the last time he had seen his mother, although he couldn’t blame her for leaving. He could, however, blame her for leaving him behind with his abusive father, the years following her disappearance were the hardest of his life at the time. 

JJ was brought back from cloud nine by Kie calling his name, “JJ?” he blinked slowly once or twice as he tried to remember what was happening. Immediately, his mask returned to his face as well as his jokester attitude. He smiled at Kie, apologetically telling her he smoked too much and must have zoned out at some point. She smiled back saying it was fine before facing forward to look at the rest of her friends.

As John B recalled all the different relatives who had previously been the owners of the compass and how they had all passed away, JJ, who had been vaguely paying attention; flashback still very fresh in his mind, mentioned a recurring theme to go with it.

Probably minutes later, John B opened the compass and found a single word written on it in his father’s writing, “Redfield.” They argued on what Redfield meant for a couple of minutes longer before being alerted to the vehicle approaching. 

JJ’s heart hammered in his chest as he saw the same two men approaching the front door, he turned quickly, walking away from the window where they had all flocked to after John B called them. John B followed his best friend, “John B, I told you. Why does it always—” JJ was pushed against the wall as John B asked where the gun was. 

He ignored the dull ache by his ribs and the way his head throbbed as he thought about where he last saw the gun. “John B, I—can’t—I don’t—" He locked eyes with his best friend, “It was in my backpack—and then—I don’t...” John B thought for a second, “the porch!” JJ nodded as he was pushed towards the office door. Obviously, John B wanted JJ to collect the gun from outside by the porch...where the two tall, scary men holding weapons were. 

Thankfully, luck had been more on his side, the men were already on the porch and about to bust the front door open. So, JJ did the most logical thing he could think of, he did a spy roll back into the room where his friends were, shutting the door as fast as possible behind him. 

JJ silently thanked whatever god existed out there in the universe as he kept his body from shaking. His friends were running around the room trying to figure out an exit, the windows, of course, were painted shut. Until Kie, that is, used a small knife to cut them loose, they hid in the chicken coop where JJ’s beloved rooster lived.  
Unfortunately, the rooster wouldn’t shut up, it’s constant cooing was pulling the assassins closer to the coop which means closer to killing his friends. 

Thinking fast JJ bit down on the inside of his cheek hard enough for blood to be drawn as he broke the rooster's neck. Kie whimpered quietly as the assassin walked away and JJ hadn’t wanted to be punished by his father as badly as he did right then. He shouldn’t have killed the rooster, now Kie and the others are going to hate him. He killed a living animal that he knew meant a lot to Kie as well as to himself. His arms wrapped closer around himself as they left the coop, John B consoling a distraught Kie. 

Later on, that night when JJ finally arrived back at his home, he felt relieved for pretty much the first time ever. He deserved punishment for what happened to the rooster and knew the only way he’d get it was by messing up in front of his father. He felt numb all over, the way she had looked at him for the rest of the day was enough to make him want physical pain to make up for what he did. 

JJ swung the door open loudly, letting it bash against the wall as it swung closed again. He waited until he heard the loud roaring snores of his father before he broke a couple of the dishes and threw an empty bottle of beer at his father’s sleeping silhouette on top of the couch. 

His father was up instantaneously, slurring his disapproving words as he approached a petrified JJ. 

JJ lay on the ground in a bloody mess as his father beat the crap out of him. Punch after punch, JJ raised his arms shielding his head and neck from damage, he didn’t even need to look at himself to see what was injured and what wasn’t. His drunken father's sloppy aiming skills meant he could at least not need to wear long sleeves in the boiling heat of summer. 

His torso was on fire and he tensed his stomach trying to somehow protect it from further damage being inflicted. It didn’t work very well. JJ doesn’t know how long the punishment lasted but it was finally over, his dad swung at his face a couple of times for good measure before grunting about a good for nothing son and walking away. He lay there on the cold ground in a fetal position for as long as possible until he heard the loud snores once more. 

Getting up off the ground, weakly, he limped towards his bedroom - arm wrapped gently around his wounded waist. JJ lay on top of his bed for as long as he was able to. His whole body ached badly and he could tell he had a swollen eye and busted lip by the way they throbbed. He reached out carefully and grasped a small blanket, wrapping himself in it his eyes slipped shut as he passed out, exhausted. 

The next couple of days JJ didn’t leave his house or visit his best friends. He could barely walk, his face was bruised and swollen and his chest all but screamed in pain every time he breathed. He was sure he had bruised ribs but couldn’t do anything to help them except getting some much-needed rest. His father left him alone for the most part, only coming into his room every so often to tell him he was going to be out for a while. 

As much as JJ relished in his time alone, he missed his friends. He wished he could contact them but the power was still out because of the storm. They hadn’t come knocking on his door yet but he suspected two more days before they would. They’ve done it before, over the years when JJ gets beat real bad and can’t leave his house they wait a couple of days before asking to see him. His father always gives them some kind of excuse of course, but, it’s the thought that counts. 

JJ was wrong, they were already knocking on his door, except this time; no one could get it because he was home alone. He panicked as he got up softly, hand moving to support his battered ribs, he limped over to the entrance door. 

He made it in front of the door, body resting heavily on it as he looked through the peephole, only seeing two of his three friends - John B was nowhere to be seen. He heard Kie and Pope speak in hushed tones as they argued over whether to knock again. He smiled sadly at his best friends, the people he considered family.

He felt his eyes tear up and raised his arm to wipe them away, removing what little support he had as he leant against the door. He fell down into a heaped mess on the floor, the hushed whispers he heard silencing instantly.

His eyes widened as he picked himself off of the ground and dashed back to his room painfully. He heard the front door open and close as his friends made their way inside, he lay underneath his covers and pulled them over his face. 

Kie walked in quietly as Pope stood watch by the door, in case JJ’s father came back. She smiled at the shivering lump underneath all the blankets, “JJ?” She questioned softly as if afraid her regular tone would frighten him. He flinched slightly from beneath the covers as he coughed twice.  
“Sorry, Kie, you need to leave before my dad comes back from the store. I don’t want to get you sick too.” She laughed lightly as she sat on the edge of the bed, “and what will you do if I refuse to leave?” He smiled from underneath the blankets and slowly peered at her through the covers. 

She audibly gasped as she took a good look at his eye, “JJ, oh my God, what happened?” she moved to get a closer look at his injury but seeing the way he shrunk back made her stay rooted in place.

He looked down apologetically, “it’s nothing Kie, don’t worry about me, I’m fine. Sorry, I worried you, but you need to leave.” She opened her mouth to speak but promptly shut it when she realized he wasn’t done. “I got into a fight with some kooks, this isn’t half as bad as what I did to their smug faces.” She laughed, “oh, JJ, what are we going to do with you?” He shrugged his covered shoulders, “my dad’s fuming with me, if I wasn’t sick as a dog I still wouldn’t be able to help with the mystery - I’m grounded for a couple of days.” 

She looked noticeably surprised for a second before seemingly realizing and changing her expression. It didn’t matter though, he still caught it and understood why she was shocked. “Yeah, he’s not the type of dad to be upset I got into a fight. He’s just pissed off that I let them get some punches in. Wants me to stay indoors until my face heals, says he doesn’t want people to know his son’s a pussy.” 

She bit her tongue and nodded sharply, “seems like him, I’ll let the others know then. Don’t worry we won’t be doing anything without our gun guy.” He laughed and hid the grimace that came with it, “I’ll be out and protecting you guys in a couple of days, let John B know he can’t do anything stupid meanwhile - I’m not there to cover him.” 

Something flashed in Kie’s eyes but it left as quickly as it came, she nodded once as she got up off of the bed and moved towards his bedroom door. “See you soon, JJ.” He nodded back to her, “see ya, Kie.”

He waited until he heard the front door open and close again before removing the covers from his face, he sighed exhausted and shut his eyes once more. He smiled as he thought about his friends coming to check on him and thought about their compass mystery as he fell into a much-needed sleep, content with knowing his friends were okay and he would see them soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There, hopefully you enjoyed the second chapter, please let me know your thoughts and I will post the third chapter soon, I promise.


	3. Summer Blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place directly after the last chapter, still on episode 2 of the show. JJ reunites with the gang after a week of being isolated and deals with sickness as they continue to unravel the mystery of John B's compass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go! it's around 2 AM but I wanted to complete and publish this chapter before I went to sleep. Please ignore any grammatical errors or spelling mistakes - It's just me writing and editing this fanfic series. Tomorrow I will go over this chapter and correct any errors.
> 
> please let me know your thoughts and I will publish another chapter soon!

JJ spent a week in total hiding from his friends, his face still wasn’t that healed at all, but he could walk around normally and the bruising on his ribs had begun to turn yellow. His eye and lip were not as swollen as the first couple of days, they still looked bad but it’s nothing a little concealer couldn’t help fix. 

He couldn’t hide at home any longer, and besides, Kie knew what she thought was the reason for his busted face so he had an excuse to use. He got dressed quickly and stared at himself in the mirror, his left eye was open now - even if he were still squinting slightly. His busted lip also looked quite a lot better, the cut had started to scab over and aside from the slight swelling it didn’t look too bad. 

He lathered a nice layer of concealer around his eye and lip, making sure to cover his torso on the off chance he had to remove his shirt. Once he was physically ready for the day, JJ walked to his front door, left his house and made his way to John B’s place. 

When he greeted his friends and exchanged pleasantries he wasn’t surprised to note they weren’t all too thrilled with his disappearance. Turns out, Kie had never told them what JJ had said to her; as great as that was because he knew he could trust her with a secret, it sucked that he had to once again explain the fake events of what happened to everyone. 

Pope smiled sympathetically, John B changed the subject and Kie gave JJ’s hand a tight squeeze. He just smiled through it and waved them off when they tried to make sure he was okay, he wasn’t going to tell them the truth regardless of what they did so it didn’t matter. 

An hour or two later and JJ was up to date with what happened when he was grounded, seems he didn’t miss all that much. John B told him what the new plan was and how they need to drive to the lighthouse because it might give them a clue about the compass. If he were being honest, JJ would have told John B that he could have said they were going into the pits of hell and he’d still happily tag along. He had been alone with his thoughts for far too long, he needed company and thankfully this mystery compass was the perfect opportunity. 

They drove to the lighthouse that day, not a lot happened on the drive to it. John B drove, Kie sat in the passenger seat with him and Pope and JJ were situated in the back with JJ being directly behind the driver. 

“I mean, it’s obvious, right? A family heirloom. What better place to hide a message? He had to know it was going to get back to me, right?” John B spoke, turning his head to look at Kie as he drove. 

She replied instantly, “Yeah, it’s possible.” Pope chimed in after Kie explaining how John B could also be “concocting wild theories” to help him cope with what he was dealing with. JJ remained silent, he didn’t really know what to believe, on the one hand, this whole compass thing is crazy and John B’s father could very much be giving him a message - telling him to look for something. 

On the other hand, this could all be some really big coincidence and a result of being at the wrong place at the wrong time and John B is so obsessed with it because he misses his dad. JJ briefly wondered what it was like to have a good relationship with your dad to the point where you’d go on a wild goose chase for them on the off chance you get to see them again. 

JJ knew John B’s father was dead, he wasn’t the type of man to just run off and leave his son all alone, then again, JJ didn’t know him that well. He looked up from where he was seated and tried to be helpful in his own way, “bro, you know how I process my sad feels. Dank nugs and the stickiest of ickies, that’s how I do it.” ‘Plus getting physically beat to the point of exhaustion so all you do is sleep to avoid thinking.’ He didn’t voice the last part, it wasn’t their business and John B had enough to deal with already without adding JJ’s family problems to the mix. 

John B was being defensive, he was adamant his father was trying to send him a message and that he didn’t need a therapy session because he was not “tripping out.” “It’s okay to trip, bro, but--” John B cut JJ off, who then decided to not finish his sentence. 

He exchanged a look with Pope as John B spoke once more, “you don’t know what it’s like to have the person closest to you vanish and then have no idea what happened. Just wake up every morning wondering.” Silently, JJ told John B he wasn’t entirely correct, that his mother had skipped town on them willingly, that every single day since then he walked around wondering what he did wrong and why she left him behind. It hurt, but, John B didn’t know about that since it happened before he met him. 

Instead, JJ decided to console his friend. “Hey, he could have been kidnapped. That’s definitely a possibility.” 

“Yeah, could be in a Soviet sub getting interrogated by the KGB somewhere.” Pope helped JJ out, who, by this point wanted to throw in a little joke and lighten the mood. “Absolutely. Uh...or Atlantis.”

Instantly he was told off by Kie, who then turned back to face John B. “JJ. Look, what do you think the message is?”

“Redfield.” JJ’s brow furrowed in confusion, “Redfield lighthouse. That’s my dad’s favourite place.” He understood why they were going all the way to the lighthouse now. What he didn’t understand, was why as soon as they left the van he was left on lookout duty with Pope. 

He argued and told Pope to “shut up” when he spoke about dependant and independent variables. He suppressed the flinch when John B told them to meet at JJ’s house if they split up and just silently threw his baseball, bored, whilst John B went on ahead with Kie. It was quiet for about ten minutes before a pissed off Pope told JJ to put a sock in it. 

“If I hear you swinging that stupid ball one more time, I swear to god, I’ll shove it so far up your anal canal your kids are going to come out holding it.”JJ scoffed, “that doesn’t even make any sense, my anal doesn’t have a canal.” Pope rolled his eyes, he loved JJ like a brother but, he really knew how to piss a guy off. 

JJ clucked his tongue, annoyed that he had to put away the only thing keeping the boredom away, but, respected what Pope wanted nonetheless. He stood against a tree, lit cigarette in hand as he allowed the breeze to remove all his troubles. Pope didn’t say a word, too focused on finishing his essay.

It didn’t take long for the police to come, JJ and Pope swore and rushed to the van, speeding off instantly. JJ looked back with the rearview mirror, he was upset they just drove off but he didn’t want to be arrested or taken in for questioning. His father might kill him if he has to walk into a police station to pick him up. 

He drove around the area for a bit before deciding to park outside his house, where they were supposed to meet up anyways. Pope was in the passenger seat, legs propped on the dashboard, nibbling at his lip anxiously. JJ looked normal, at least judging by how Pope didn’t say anything. His fingers were rhythmically strumming the steering wheel, left leg shaking nervously as he tried to calm himself down. 

He felt hot and delirious. He would have believed you if you told him his skin was covered in molten lava. It was getting harder for him to breathe and he was suddenly aware of how little he had eaten this past week. He was sure if he had any food in his stomach he would have puked it out all over Pope and himself. He took deep breaths in trying to will the sickness away as Pope cleared his throat and attempted to make conversation, “so, how’s your injuries?”

JJ wasn’t paying attention all that well, too focused on willing his body to feel better, so when he answered he said more than he should have. “My arm doesn’t really bother me anymore, had worse done to me. It still hurts to breathe thanks to my bruised ribs and my face throbs from the concealer on it.”

Pope’s eyes widened comically, he spun around to face JJ who still hadn’t realized what he said. “You mean to tell me, you’ve been more than a little injured for days and said nothing to us?” JJ’s brow furrowed as he tried to answer the question, what was so bad about that? He had been beaten up plenty of times - each time hiding it better than the last and no one ever complained. 

It suddenly clicked, he actually told Pope about all the injuries, how was he going to explain this? Thinking fast he just said what came to mind, “well, yeah, John B has a lot on his plate, I’m not going to add to it.” Pope looked like he was going to speak but JJ continued, “I already told you, I go into a fight with some kooks, did you really think they just hit my face a couple of times?” Pope looked lost for words, “well, yeah, I didn’t know they did anything more serious like bruising your ribs - shit JJ, are you okay?” He stopped and held JJ’s head as his eyes slipped shut. 

JJ woke up to a pounding in his head, aching in his bones and an anxious Pope too close for comfort. “-ope?” his voice had cut out but he forced himself to act normal, he was still in the car with Pope waiting on John B and Kie. Under him, the driver’s seat was pulled as far back as it would go so JJ was laying flat. He pushed himself forward and into a sitting position, upon noticing Pope stare worriedly he spoke, “m’fine.”

As much as Pope didn’t believe it, he chose to let his friend gather his bearings, “you sure you’re okay, JJ?” Said boy nodded his head, “peachy” He raised the back of JJ’s seat to where it was originally and let him breathe for second or two to make sure he was really okay. JJ wiped at his sweaty brow and sniffled, “they sure are taking their time.” Pope agreed with him, he kept sneaking worried glances at his sick friend but JJ really did seem fine. He didn’t even look that pale anymore and he kept insisting he felt okay so Pope dropped it for now. 

They sat in a comfortable silence as they waited for John B and Kie to show up, they never did. JJ went to Pope’s house with him, helping out with the chores he had to do so that he wasn’t sitting at home alone. JJ had shrugged off whatever sickness he had, he still felt shitty but it wasn’t bad enough that he couldn’t hide it. He still noticed Pope giving him side glances but as long as he acted like he was okay, there wasn’t much anyone could do. 

Eventually, John B came to pick them up with his car, JJ didn’t even remember how John B acquired the van but ignored that thought and hopped into the passenger’s side. They drove to Kie’s family restaurant but at first, she refused to come out, JJ let John B go out of the car and handle it whilst he stayed with Pope in the vehicle. Although Pope had yet to say anything to anyone about what happened with JJ he needed to hear a confirmation from Pope. 

“Dude, I don’t know how long they’re going to be gone for but I need you to swear to me. Promise me you won’t tell them what I said to you and what happened earlier today, I promise I’m fine but you need to promise me you won’t.” Pope nodded his head, “promise, JJ. Just, please, look after yourself and get checked out.” JJ nodded knowing full well he wouldn’t be able to get checked out but Pope didn’t need to know that. 

Kie and John B came back almost directly after, Kie had, of course, opted to continue their adventure together. He smiled as he leant his head against the window, he allowed his eyes to slip shut so he could sleep for a couple of minutes as his friends spoke. Eventually, it was night time and JJ had moved to the back row and was smoking weed to help make him feel better.

They stopped at a cemetery and used Kie to get inside an old tomb that none of the boys could fit into. She ended up pulling out this file for John B and they had to run out of the cemetery before the “assassins” tried to kill them again. In reality, it was just the police but they still didn’t want to take that chance. JJ sat in the back seat of the car once again, as they made their way to John B’s place. When they finally arrived they’d see what John B’s father left behind for him, but for now, sleep was calling his name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for checking out this story! Please make sure to kudos, bookmark and leave a comment as it really does help motivate me! see you in the next chapter~


	4. Better Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of the last chapter and it focuses on episode three of Outer Banks, "The Forbidden Zone"
> 
> JJ and Pope whump scenes (kind of?) more JJ backstory! and healing JJ.
> 
> I swear I will have chapters of Kie and John B fluff with JJ but I'm trying to stick to the season plotline so it will take some time!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for checking out this story! Took slightly longer to write since I wasn't sure where I wanted to go this chapter, but, I figured it out. 
> 
> Don't forget to comment, kudos and bookmark if you like it as that really motivates me!

It wasn’t long before JJ was rudely awoken by the car coming to a stop. He lurched forward, body hitting the seat in front of him as everyone else left the vehicle. He groaned groggily and scratched at the back of his neck as he processed what just happened. John B was waving him into the house where Kie and Pope patiently waited for him. He sniffled, reaching out and opening the van door he stepped out and met his friends inside John B’s house. 

There was a map with an X mark and a tape recorder already containing the tape laying on the table his three friends were huddled around. JJ made a move to go join them but upon taking a step; realized his plans might have to change. A wave of dizziness washed over him and he thought he was going to pass out again. He was standing in the kitchen in front of the counters and reached out his arm behind him, grabbing onto the edge of a random counter for support.

He zoned out of the conversation, turning around so he could make a mouldy sandwich. It wasn’t the healthiest thing to have, but, if he didn’t eat something in the next couple of seconds he would be coming face to face with the ground, again, and he didn’t want that. 

He took a bite and scratched his whole plan of action, the bread tasted like crap he couldn’t even swallow one measly bite. He shook his head trying to rid himself of the taste as his friends scolded his disgusting behaviour. He kept taking reluctant glances at it before being called by Kie back to where everyone else was located. 

He put on a big goofy smile and walked towards John B, eager to see what they found. Turns out, John B’s father located the Merchant’s shipwreck - it’s what the X stood for on the map. In the audio recording, he explains what he wants John B to do and they virtually said their goodbyes as the recording went quiet. 

JJ was shocked but not very surprised, he was only surprised by few things and this was certainly not one of them. They spent that night talking about the sunk ship and what they would do with the money, JJ voted for going full Kook, they eventually all semi agreed. That night was one of the best nights of JJ’s life and they didn’t do a lot, they stayed awake until the early hours of the morning just talking about nothing and everything, secrets were kept secret of course, but it was a fun night nonetheless. 

The next day they travelled to kook territory, they went to the hotel JJ worked at and used one of the computers with internet to find the coordinates of the shipwreck. They weren’t there very long thankfully, JJ found himself thinking about when Kie dragged his ass to Kook territory for John B’s birthday present and smiled. He missed the simpler times when John B’s father was still with him, the only mystery they had was what they were going to do that day and JJ didn’t need to worry about someone (Pope) spilling the beans. 

They left the hotel in a pretty big hurry, they had the coordinates but they still needed an underwater drone to see where the wreck was. JJ’s fathers’ old workplace was brought up and he told them it had the drone they need and so off they went. He sat nervously in the van, staring as Kie got to work with distracting his fathers old colleague. He spoke briefly with Pope, “you know what your problem is?” “You?” he brushed off the hurt that flashed in his eyes and continued, “ No! It's that you need to relax, man. You're always so tense!”

“I’m not too tense.” JJ saw the worry on Pope’s face and sought to make him feel better, “Hey, don’t worry. You got this.” “It’s not me that I’m worried about.”

He ran with the boys, making it to the site before the gate closed. He took them to where he remembered the drone being but couldn’t access the locked door since the combination had changed. He swore when a dog came in his line of vision, he tried to calm the dog down and yelled at Pope to run as the dog chased him around the yard. He managed to outrun the dog and climbed up onto a high surface where it wouldn’t be able to reach him. 

He heard his dad’s old colleague warn him to come out and bit his lip coming out of his hiding, “wait Bobby! Don’t shoot. It’s me JJ.” Bobby squinted his eyes, “Luke’s kid? What are you doin’?” JJ gulped as he raised his arms, “I swear, okay? I didn’t want to, okay?” Bobby quietened the barking dog, “my dad made me” He glared, “don’t you lie.” 

JJ shook his head, “he told me Captain Leo kept his cutting torch, said if I didn’t get it for him, he was gonna...” He took a deep breath, “he was gonna hit me again.” Bobby scoffed, “son of a bitch!” JJ’s voice broke as tears rolled down his face, “I’m sorry.” He sobbed and was told to come down from where he was, “I almost killed you!” He did as he was told, sniffling, “I know.” He looked down, “I’ll just come up with somethin’. Tell him I couldn’t find it.” Bobby made a disapproving face, “mhm, alright.” JJ looked anywhere but at him as he walked back out of the yard, “Sorry.” 

He did mean it, Bobby had been sympathetic when his father worked there with him, tried to get him to stop the abuse but it just made it worse. His father didn’t take nicely to someone else giving him orders on how he raised his son, tried to show him a lesson by punishing JJ real bad. He had ended up broken and bloody on Bobby’s doorstep one rainy night, freezing with a high temperature, three broken bones and a deep cut on his abdomen. He spent three days recuperating at Bobby’s place before retreating to his house and resting as much as he possibly could. 

He remembers John B asking for him but he refused to let him in, that had been one of the lowest moments of his life back then, his mum leaving, of course, still being the lowest. He owed a hell of a lot to Bobby and stealing from his workplace wasn’t the way to thank him. He silently made his way to John B’s van after wiping any sign of his tears. 

He was pretty silent the rest of the way to Kie’s restaurant. She had convinced her dad to let them eat leftovers and it was only then that JJ had registered how sick he felt. He had been so worried about Pope blabbing his secret and the mystery of the merchant and then stealing from Bobby that he didn’t have time to think about it. He smirked at his friends and dug into the food they were graciously given. 

They went home after finishing their meal and JJ had puked his guts out the remainder of the night, he hadn’t felt this bad in a while. He sat curled up against the toilet clutching his stomach in pain, he had not got a wink of sleep and it’s all he wanted to do. It was early the next day when he had to meet his friends, he got up off of the tiled floor he had referred to as his home for that night and took a cold shower, he let the water wash away all his visible suffering and brushed his teeth a total of three times, only stopping a handful of times to puke.

He met his friends with his mask on, sure, he looked paler than usual but aside from Pope giving him small glances, everyone was acting normal. They discussed when they would be attempting to find the merchant and concluded that they’d need to wait for the right weather and thunder was not the right weather. JJ joked around with Pope before they all went their separate ways, he was supposed to be helping him deliver groceries throughout Outer Banks. 

JJ had dropped Pope off by the boat and patiently waited on him to show up, having already made his delivery he stood on the boat. His back was resting against the hood of the drivers quarters, his eyes tightly held shut. His stomach gurgled and he rushed to throw up twice more off the side of the boat before Pope had caught up with him. 

JJ tried to ignore the ongoing sickness he faced and joked around with Pope, said he would do the groceries for Pope whenever he wanted - it was easy money. He saw Pope frown and a tear or two trickle down his face, “what’s up with you bro, you good?” 

Pope didn’t answer but when JJ removed his cap he realized why Pope had been so silent, he had been beaten up. Instantly, JJ’s blood boiled and his urge to protect Pope was growing by the second. “What happened?” Pope looked down, “Rafe and Topper jumped me. They said no pogues on their side of the island.” JJ was feeling murderous, “what are you gonna do?” he followed Pope back to the edge of the boat and stood beside him as they watched Toppers boat. “2020 Malibu, 24-MXC. The world’s finest wakesetter. Number one in quality, luxury and performance.” 

JJ glared at the boat, “this is war, Pope. They hit us, we hit them. Do it.” he watched pride swelling in his chest as Pope tampered with the boat and swam back fast enough to watch it sink. “Wow, you did it. I’m so proud of you right now. Holy crap.” He waited until Pope responded, “JJ?” “Yeah?” Pope looked at him, “You can’t tell anybody.” He nodded at his best friend, “oh, no, yeah. Totally, dude.” Pope shook his head, “not Kie, not John B. Nobody.” JJ nodded once more, “yup, my lips are sealed.” He grabbed the last remaining evidence of what they did from Pope’s arms and threw it far into the ocean. 

On the drive back they were in a comforting silence, JJ was starting to feel better, he no longer had the constant urge to throw up what was, by this point, just the acid in his stomach. Pope didn’t ask him any questions about his injuries, only saying one thing, “what’d the doctor say?” JJ was taken off guard by the question, “huh?” Pope looked at JJ from his spot steering the boat briefly before turning back, “the doctors. You promised you would go.” 

JJ’s eyes had widened, “oh, right. I haven’t gone yet, not a lot of free time left now that we have a mystery to solve.” Pope glared at the calm ocean in front of him, “you swore, JJ. Go see the doctor or I tell our friends and they’ll force you to got go the doctors with them.” JJ held back the smile at the thought of that happening. “I promised you, and I will go, I just need time. I’m either working, helping my dad or trying to solve this mystery.” 

JJ didn’t mention that he was also incredibly sick for whatever reason, and instead, chose to remain silent for the rest of the drive home. Pope’s small nod being the only indication he was out of the woods, for now. Later on, once they had gone back to Pope’s dad to relay what deliveries they could and couldn’t make, they went surfing altogether.

JJ had checked his ribs in the bathroom alone before they had reached John B and Kie. The bruises by his ribs had healed, the slight yellow discolouration that was left he easily fixed and corrected with concealer. His eye and lip were no longer sore, the only visible evidence of it that remained was a healing cut on his lower lip but he didn’t have to hide that - they knew how he got it. 

He spent the rest of the day surfing with his friends and when it became night they once again gathered at John B’s house to relax and speak about anything and nothing. There was still a lot they needed to do, but, it could wait a day. For now, he would just enjoy being teenagers for a bit longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know your thoughts! Don't forget to comment, kudos and bookmark if you like it as that really motivates me!


	5. I've missed you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've been absent for a while, with everything going on in the world and my personal life I was just in a state of not wanting to write or do anything. I lost a beloved member of my family recently and found myself writing as a way of coping with it. I read through the chapters already posted and whilst I still haven't decided where I want this story to go I do owe you all whump JJ. 
> 
> Hope you'll take this angst piece that is separate to the series, it's shorter but I wanted to give you something today.
> 
> Happy Halloween! It's good to be back and I'll release a proper chapter soon and hopefully tell you my upload schedule. 
> 
> Stay safe <3

It hadn’t been that long since JJ met up with the Pogues, in fact since this whole merchant treasure thing happened, he was rarely home anymore and he was worried his father had started to notice. 

It became more apparent to him when he came home after spending almost four full days at John B’s place. His father had questioned where he was and gave him a telling off, but didn’t hit him. If he were talking to Pope about this he would say that it was completely normal, but Pope didn’t know JJ’s dad. He loved violence and hitting JJ was his favorite stress reliever. 

This confused JJ but he chose not to question it, figured his father would hit him at some point sooner or later. He shrugged it off as he met with his friends and used the underwater camera they stole from his dad’s old work place to find the sunken ship. 

When they found out the treasure had been moved, they had all gone back to John B’s house and spent yet another night outside talking about anything and everything. 

JJ came home the next day and not only did his father not hit him, he had actually asked if JJ had a nice time out with his friends, scolding him for not informing him prior and telling him how worried he had gotten. 

Alarm bells had rung inside JJ’s head but he still chose not to question it, his father would punish him eventually. 

When a whole week had passed by and JJ still hadn’t had a physical beating he felt like he was going insane. His father was being nice to him, asking him if he needed money and waiting up for him until he came home on late nights. 

The house looked cleaner than it had in years and JJ was starting to get used to not always being in pain and having to hide it. It actually felt amazing to not be keeping this big, dark secret from his very best friends. 

One night, he decided to come home earlier – he found himself not wanting to keep his father waiting up for him for too long. He arrived fairly quickly and noted the switched off lights, inserted the key and opened his front door as quiet as he could. 

He whispered a short, “I’m home” and almost jumped in his skin when his father had switched the light on, “welcome home, Jay.”

JJ had frozen, his father hadn’t called him Jay in years, and he could feel the tears at the corner of his eyes and blinked them away rapidly. 

His father laughed, like actually laughed. JJ couldn’t remember the last time he laughed without punishing him, he smiled awkwardly “I’m home dad.”

He didn’t dare move let alone say another word, he just stood there in front of the main door waiting for something to happen. 

His dad walked towards him and raised his arm and JJ flinched, he knew this would be the end of nice dad but it was fun whilst it lasted. He waited, and waited, but nothing came. Ever so gently he peeked through his eyelids and spotted his dad directly in front of him. 

“What’s wrong, Jay, do you not feel well?” JJ had become mute, he didn’t know what to say, his mouth just opened and shut like an idiot.

He collected himself slightly, “’I-I’m just tired, dad” His dad nodded and looked through the hallway towards the kitchen, he picked up JJ’s backpack and walked through the hall wordlessly. 

JJ mutely followed behind him. His dad stopped at the kitchen table and placed his bag on a vacant chair, “sit down son” JJ gulped and did as he was told. 

His dad was the first to speak, “so, how was your day?” JJ blinked, he couldn’t process the question, “hm?” 

His dad laughed, “I asked how your day was. You really are tired, huh, son?” He nodded once, slowly, “m-my day was good. I hung out with John B and the others.” 

A moment of silence was interrupted by his dad, once again, “ah, John B? So you still hang out with him after all these years?” JJ sniffled, “he’s still my best friend.”

His dad’s smile faltered and suddenly he looked exactly as JJ had seen him for all those years, the heartless dad and the abuser. 

“I’ve never liked that kid, Jay, you know that.” JJ didn’t say a word but his dad continued, “Y’know, recently, there’s been talk about your friend getting gold or something.” 

JJ’s eyes widened, “w-who told you that?” his dad ignored him, “I need your help defeating him, son. Let’s split the gold thirty – seventy!”

JJ shook his head, “no, dad, I-I can’t do that to him.” 

His dad glared and slammed his hand against the glass table, shattering it, “you will do it or I swear to God you’re mother leaving won’t be your only problem.”

JJ froze as he walked to his room, he couldn’t speak, his dad told him to sleep on it and give him an answer in the morning. 

He didn’t know what the fuck he was going to do and for the first time in almost two weeks, he cried himself to sleep that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know your thoughts! Don't forget to comment, kudos and bookmark if you like it as that really motivates me <3


	6. It’s okay, I’m okay.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John B clicked his tongue and grabbed JJ by his shirt, pulling him behind the house where the rubbish was. 
> 
> John B was silent, when JJ tried to speak he shushed him quickly, moving to place his hand over JJ’s mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> Sorry, this chapter was mostly done in my drafts but I’ve had so many assignments there hasn’t been time to finish writing it. 
> 
> I made it as long as I could so hopefully that makes up for it?
> 
> Hope you enjoy this one! It’s kind of heavy John B and JJ fluff.

It hadn’t been long since JJ last spoke to his dad, Luke. A whole night had passed and JJ still couldn’t believe what had happened. Did his dad really ask him to become a double agent? Was he really expected to two-time John B and the other Pogues? 

He hadn’t slept for more than a couple hours that night, his brain kept replaying everything and JJ couldn’t help but wonder how his deadbeat dad figured it out. 

He figured his dad’s supplier was the connection, he hadn’t spoken to the Pogues in a couple of days, but he knew Sarah was apart of the plan too now. Kie had ranted over how upsetting it was that Sarah was allowed into their circle, she was a Kook, she had enough money – she didn’t deserve the gold. 

He knew Sarah’s brother; Rafe got his supply from the same person as Luke, and connected the dots. JJ hadn’t meant to know about Rafe, he had just gone to pay Barry, their dealer but had to wait. He stood and awkwardly waited for Rafe and Barry to finish their deal before being able to get his father’s goods. 

Rafe had, of course, pushed JJ against a wall when he saw him and threaten to kill him if he told anyone. Usually JJ would give a snarky comment back but he wasn’t feeling that great so he just sighed and nodded once. 

“Secrets safe with me, Kook.” Rafe had looked at him weirdly; JJ probably looked terrible with the way Rafe was staring at him, “You good, Maybank?”

JJ had nodded once, loosely. Shrugging Rafe off he walked back towards Barry and did what he came there to do. 

He wanted to cry; of course word would get back to Luke, why wouldn’t it? Its not like JJ was hiding it from Luke specifically, whom was he kidding. Yes, JJ was hiding it from Luke specifically, but how could he not? His father would always use whatever money he made to stock up on booze and drugs. Even now that he’s older – JJ still has to give his work profits to his dad, that’s why he adapted. 

JJ had worked multiple jobs whenever he could, he would give all his work pay from one job to his dad and keep the pay from his other jobs for his meals. It was exhausting but it worked, he wasn’t sure how long he would have survived without a proper warm meal otherwise; crackers and water can only take you so far. 

This was why when JJ had ditched his friends’ calls; he hadn’t expected them to follow up on it. He had run out of the house the morning after but he knew he would need to tell Luke soon. He couldn’t face John B knowing what he was forced to do. 

He walked around the cut aimlessly for as long as he could before his friend’s had found him. They found him sitting outside the police station and figured something was wrong when they had to chase him back to John B’s.

He huffed loudly, his lungs burned and he didn’t even know his legs could run that quick. 

John B was furious, “what the hell JJ? Since when do we ignore calls from the Pogues – your family?” JJ was still out of breath from the run and bent down with his hands resting against his knees. 

“Sorry, John B, I just haven’t had time recently.” John B rolled his eyes, in the distance, JJ could hear the rest of the Pogues calling out to the both of them. 

John B clicked his tongue and grabbed JJ by his shirt, pulling him behind the house where the rubbish was. 

John B was silent, when JJ tried to speak he shushed him quickly, moving to place his hand over JJ’s mouth. 

By this point JJ had just accepted his fate, they peered through the side of the building at the Pogues who had just arrived. 

He saw their friends look around, he couldn’t hear what they said but their lips moved and they nodded their heads once respectively and walked off. 

John B had sighed, shoving JJ off of him who sunk to the ground, knees propped up, arms wrapped around them. 

John B looked at JJ, bending down to become eye level with him. “Jay, what’s wrong buddy? This isn’t like you.” 

JJ felt the tears well up in his eyes but refused to let them drop, he sniffled. 

“I know, and I’m sorry man. I’m just so tired. My dad’s been spending more than usual and it’s working me to the bone.”

John B furrowed his eyebrows, “working you to the bone?”

JJ nodded, “yeah, he always takes the pay I make from that hotel we went to for the coordinates, and spends it on coke and booze.”

John B felt anger spike up but pushed it back down, letting JJ continue. 

“So, I work other jobs, secretly, so I have money to buy food – since we never have groceries at home.” 

John B sighed as he slouched down beside JJ so there were in the same position. 

“I’m sorry man, I didn’t know – I feel so stupid now, I should have never gotten upset with you.” 

JJ shook his head, “no, it’s not your fault John B, you didn’t know. I didn’t want anyone to know that this is my reality.” 

John B looked at him, “then why’d you tell me?” JJ turned to him, “because you’re my best friend dummy, and I was ignoring all of you. You deserve an explanation for that.” 

John B sighed, he moved his positioning a couple times and JJ knew he was about to ask something uncomfortable. He was right. 

“He doesn’t, uhm, hit you or anything does he?” The breath caught in JJ’s throat and he forgot how to speak. 

He spluttered, “I mean- I-no-“

John B laughed, “easy Jay, don’t have to say anything you aren’t comfortable with sharing.” 

JJ tried to laugh but it was more of a sob, he titled his head down and wrapped his arms around his neck. 

John B waited patiently for a response, to which JJ was grateful for. 

“Honestly?”

John B hummed, “yeah?” 

JJ sighed,”honestly, yeah. For as long as I can remember every-time he drank or was frustrated by something he’d take it out on me.” 

John B waited for JJ to finish speaking. 

“It’s like, I dunno, it wasn’t awful when I was growing up – the beatings back then were a piece of cake. Now not so much.” 

John B shot him a look, “does he still beat you even until today?” 

JJ closed his eyes and let his head hit the wall behind them. “He never stopped, as I got older it’s gotten progressively worse and worse and now I’m not sure how much longer I can keep it up.” 

John B reached out to grab JJ’s shoulder, but he flinched away instead and John B felt a new kind of pain. 

“S-sorry, didn’t mean it, I know you wouldn’t hurt me.”

John B shook his head, “it’s okay, JJ, you don’t have to apologize.” 

JJ’s smile was watery, “I shouldn’t even be telling you the truth right now, John B, you don’t deserve to hear such awful things.” 

John B rolled his eyes, “Jay, I should be saying that about you – not the other way around!” 

John B looked at him, “what’s the most recent injury you’ve received?” 

JJ looked at John B surprised, “most recent injury?” He thought back to the past couple days, his father hadn’t fully given him a beating since he lied to the Pogues. He did still have bruises all over his body though. 

“The last time I had a full beating was when I hid from y’all for a couple days. Honestly hasn’t been that bad for a while” 

John B nodded, “figured it wasn’t kooks, wouldn’t have made much sense.” 

JJ laughed, “that’s what doesn’t make sense about this?” 

John B shook his head, “no, not just that. God Jay, you should have told me sooner - I’ve been friends with you since the second grade and was completely clueless.”

“I did miss a lot of school back then, not like anyone realized why though.”

John B sighed and JJ coughed, grimacing as his ribs ached, John B was alert instantly.

“Jay, JJ you okay? What’s wrong – what hurts?”

JJ fought through the pain and sighed, “nothing, I’m fine, don’t worry, John B.”

JJ looked at John B, “hey, John, promise me you won’t tell a soul anything that you’ve heard from me today.” 

John B nodded, “I promise Jay, but come to my house the minute it gets too hard. I’ll fix you up.” 

JJ smiled, “thanks, feels nice having someone to look after me again after all these years.” John B swore he heard his heart shatter but ignored it. 

JJ yawned, his head was starting to droop, John B smirked, “tired are we?” JJ was half asleep at this point, and wasn’t really paying attention to anything as he let his head rest on John B’s shoulder. 

“Yeah, hardly slept last night after everything with Luke.” 

“What about Luke? Did he hit you last night?” 

“God no, if it was just that I would’ve still been able to sleep. I’m just so terrified and don’t know how to tell him I won’t be a spy for him. No matter how much gold he offers. I wouldn’t do that to you guys.”

John B blinked, “what?” But he could hear the soft snores of JJ and knew he was out for the count. 

He smiled, patting JJ’s head, “goodnight Jay, sleep well, everything will be sorted by tomorrow. Promise.” 

John B got up carefully, carrying JJ bridal style. He was surprised over how light JJ was, he really needed to eat more. 

John B nudged his door open and plopped JJ on the couch, propping his head up with a random pillow. 

The shirt JJ was wearing was a buttoned one and John B couldn’t help it when his fingers moved to unbutton the shirt. He wanted to see how bad it really was.

He bit his lip and sucked in a breath, JJ’s skin was an array of different blues, blacks and purples – the occasional yellow peaking through.

He was furious, Luke was going to pay for it one day, he had to. He buttoned JJ’s shirt and stared at the sleeping boy. 

He pat JJ on the head one last time and left the house, closing the door gently behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know your thoughts! Don't forget to comment, kudos and bookmark if you like it. It really helps motivates me <3


End file.
